Page 138 of Alessio

It wasn’t the job.

He also pulled out a stack of cash—ten-thousand, nothing more, and nothing less. All in small, unmarked bills. He could take ten thousand in cash through customs, and they wouldn’t say shit about it. One dollar more, and they would confiscate it, and arrest him for attempting to smuggle money.

Because right, that’s what he would do.

Fun times.

“Are you listening at all?”

“No,” Alessio said.

Dare sighed. “Listen, I understand you’re still pissed at me and everything. I know I overstepped my bounds, Alessio. You don’t need to continue giving me the silent treatment as a way to punish me, okay?”

Standing straight, and closing the safe, Alessio kept a tight grip on that folder, and the stack of cash as he turned to face Dare in the doorway. “First, anger doesn’t work that way—I can be mad for as long as I fucking want, and you don’t get to decide when that changes. Not that it matters because I’m not pissed anymore, I’m just busy. I have a solid two hours to make it back and catch my flight.”

Dare nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he did so. A sign of his nerves. Growing up under this man’s feet from age ten allowed him to recognize all of Dare’s tells.

“Sorry, yeah, you’re right. And I noticed all those flight changes.”

Alessio shrugged. “I tried to work something out, that’s all. It didn’t … well, work.”

“I see.”

“Second,” Alessio continued, because he wasn’t done yet, and now seemed like the best time to get it out because he wouldn’t have time when he got back from this job, “you’re right, you overstepped your bounds.”

“And I’m sorry for that,” Dare added.

Right.

Alessio was aware.

That didn’t change a lot, though. At least, it didn’t change what he thought or had to say about all of this, anyway. He wanted his line to be clear between him and Dare, and in case the man hadn’t got the memo, that line was way before Corrado. Someone getting too close to Corrado, or the life Alessio shared with him, and his walls would go way up again.

Simple as that.

“If you have an opinion, and I care to hear it, then I will tell you. About Corrado and me, though? You could at least give me the same respect for him I’ve given you about Cree for the last decade. I never asked because it was not on the table. This is the same thing—or when you wanna stick your nosy ass into our issues, anyway. Just stay way the fuck back. Got it?”

“Understood.”

“And I get it’s because you care,” Alessio added quieter, softening his stance, “and I love you for that, but please stay out of it.”

Dare shifted on his feet, glancing away from Alessio as he did so. “That’s the first time you’ve said that—the love thing.”

“I’m doing a lot of new shit.”

“Huh.”

“I need to get going. Can you do me a favor?”

“I can try.”

If what Alessio thought about Corrado was true, then the man had shut himself off. He was powering down and putting a distance between himself and everything that might penetrate his very high walls.

That’s how he protected himself.

Not that there was anything Alessio could do about it right now. Not only did he need to get rid of his phone in the next minute, and he likely wouldn’t get to the Toronto penthouse when he got back for that two-hour layover because traffic was a bitch in the city. He would have no contact with him for the next week or two … depending on how long this job lasted.

To Alessio, that all said one thing.